Chairman Vacancy of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea Reconfirmed... Prolonged Suspension of Inter-Korean Dialogue Expected

Ministry of Unification Publishes 'North Korea 2020 Key Figures and Institutions Directory'
Kim Yo-jong's Transfer to Organization Guidance Department Unconfirmed and Not Listed
Hyun Song-wol, Kim Jong-ho, Jang Kum-chol, and 23 Others Newly Registered

At the inter-Korean summit held at Panmunjom on April 17, 2018, Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, and Ri Son-gwon, who was then serving as the Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, are taking a commemorative photo.

The position of Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF), North Korea's organization responsible for inter-Korean affairs and equivalent to South Korea's Ministry of Unification, has remained vacant for an extended period. As North Korea's silence, which has signaled a halt to inter-Korean dialogue since last year, continues, the government's independent push for inter-Korean cooperation is expected to face setbacks.

In the '2020 Key Figures in North Korea' and '2020 Directory of North Korean Institutions' published by the Ministry of Unification on the 13th, the CPRF chairman position was recorded as vacant. Ri Son-gwon, who had been serving as CPRF chairman, reportedly moved to the position of Foreign Minister at the end of last year, which was officially confirmed by North Korean media reports in January of this year.

However, it has not been confirmed who succeeded him. The Ministry of Unification stated that it has not yet identified who the current CPRF chairman is.

The CPRF is a state institution that announces North Korea's official stance on inter-Korean relations, and the CPRF chairman is the counterpart to the Minister of Unification. Interaction between the CPRF and the Ministry of Unification is essential for inter-Korean dialogue, exchanges, and cooperation.

Although the government has actively proposed cooperation this year on pandemic prevention between the two Koreas, inter-Korean railway and road connection projects, the international peace zone designation of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), and individual tourism to North Korea, the North has consistently remained unresponsive.

In August last year, a CPRF spokesperson stated, "We have nothing more to say to the South Korean authorities and have no intention of sitting down together again," and this stance appears to have continued.

There are also speculations that Kim Yo-jong, the first deputy director of the Workers' Party and sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, has moved to the Organization and Guidance Department, the top-ranked organization of the Workers' Party, but government authorities have not confirmed this. In the key figures directory, the Ministry of Unification listed Kim Jong-un's titles only as 'First Deputy Director of the Party Central Committee,' 'Candidate Member of the Party Political Bureau,' and 'Delegate to the 14th Supreme People's Assembly.'

This publication added 23 new figures, including Kim Jong-gwan, Minister of the People's Armed Forces; Kim Jong-ho, Minister of People's Security; Jang Kum-chol, head of the Workers' Party United Front Department; and Hyun Song-wol, deputy director of the Party Propaganda and Agitation Department.

The Minister of the People's Armed Forces is known as one of the "top three" in the North Korean military leadership, along with the Director of the General Political Bureau and the Chief of the General Staff. Kim Jong-gwan, during his tenure as vice minister of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, is known to have overseen the construction of the Wonsan-Galma district and hot spring tourist sites, projects of interest to Chairman Kim. Kim Jong-gwan's promotion is seen as reflecting Kim Jong-un's merit-based personnel policy. Former Minister of Unification Lee Jong-seok cited Kim Jong-gwan's case at a Ministry of Unification press briefing earlier this year, stating, "Kim Jong-un's personnel style demonstrates meritocracy."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Unification revealed that North Korea has subdivided the existing Ministry of Heavy Industry and established a new Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry. This is seen as an extension of the policy of self-reliance and concentrated efforts on economic development, creating a department responsible for related fields. In particular, this move can be viewed as a step considering maritime trade ahead of potential sanctions relief.

The elevation of Kaesong City, home to the Kaesong Industrial Complex, to a "Special City" was also recorded in this publication. The Ministry of Unification explained, "North Korean state media mentioned other special cities such as Nampo and Rason last year and earlier this year, and also named Kaesong City."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.